When asked if marijuana played any role when it came to writing the songs for Rush, Lee told Alternative Nation, “Marijuana and Rush? Never. Outrageous concept.” He added, laughingly, “‘A Passage to Bangkok’ is just about a train, man! It’s not about anything else.”

In an interview with High Times in 2012, Lee discussed the meaning behind the song released in 1976. “That should be self-evident — it’s about a fun little journey to all the good places you could go to have a puff,” he said.

Going on to express his enthusiasm for cannabis legalization, he said, “Yeah listen, I’m really happy that marijuana is being legalized here. It should be legalized everywhere and it’s not going away. It makes people happy, it eases people’s pain, and more importantly, it eases people’s boredom. So more power to it.”

Lee also responded in the affirmative when asked if he supported legalization. “I do. In fact, the Liberal Party in Canada just endorsed legalization, and I think that’s a very smart move on their part… Personally, I just think, at the end of the day, who cares if people want to smoke some pot? More trouble happens with alcohol than with pot, so we have to start viewing the issue more sensibly.”

So next time you take off to the Great White North to smoke some Trees, rest assured that Geddy Lee is on your side.

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